The February meeting was packed with people and interest. The members were joined by 11 visitors to see Julie S and Chris P (picture on the left) formally inducted into the club and hear from author John Howell on his book, “The Only Women at Gallipoli”.
From the introductions made by Julie and Chris, we can be sure they will “hit the ground running” with club activities.
John Howell kept us enthralled in recounting his story of “The Only Women at Gallipoli”. In November, 1915 a woman appeared amid the fighting at Gallipoli. She laid a wreath on a grave and then disappeared . It was the grave of a hero, a man killed at the landings and awarded the Victoria Cross. There were two women who truly loved this man. Was the visitor a dedicated nurse and hospital founder who saved the lives of thousands in a 50 year career - a woman awarded medals by Britain, France and Turkey? Or was it a famous explorer, fluent in Arabic and Persian, a friend of the famous including T E Lawrence and Winston Churchill and the only female delegate among thousands at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919? Five years of research revealed this amazing true story. It has emerged from tantalising clues, unpublished love letters and false trails deliberately left to hide the truth. Which woman was it? Who was The Only Woman at Gallipoli?
After that wonderful and tantalising story, as usual, we headed of for a great lunch at TAP 831, subsidized thanks to the generosity of the City of Melbourne.